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Pterois

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"Lionfish" redirects here. For other possible meanings, see Lionfish (disambiguation).

Pterois
Pterois antennata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Scorpaeniformes
Family:
Scorpaenidae
Subfamily:
Pteroinae
Genus:
Pterois

Species

et al.

Pterois is a genus of venomous marine fish found mostly in the Indo-Pacific. In the mid 1990s they were unintentially introduced into the Atlantic Ocean and have become an invasive species along the East Coast of the United States.[1] Pterois is characterized by red, white and black stripes, showy pectoral fins and venomous, spiky tentacles.[2][1] Pterois are classified into fifteen different species, but Pterois radiata, Pterois volitans and Pterois miles are the most commonly studied. Pterois are popular aquarium fish and are readily utilized in the culinary world.[2] Although much data has been collected on the Pterois invasion to date, further research will reveal the extent of damage done to native ecological systems in the Atlantic Ocean.

Morphology and Behavior

Pterois range in size from 6.2 to 42.4 cm with typical adults measuring 38 cm and weighing an average of 480 g.[1][3][4] They are well known for their ornate beauty, venomous spines and unique tentacles. [5][6] Juvenile lionfish have a unique tentacle located above their eye sockets that varies in phenotype between species. [5] It is suggested that the evolution of this tentacle serves to continually attract new prey; studies also suggest that it plays a role in sexual selection [5]. Lionfish are known for their venomous tentacles; a feature that is uncommon among marine fish in the East Coast coral reefs. The potency of their venom makes them excellent predators and dangerous to fishermen and divers. [1] Pterois venom produced negative inotropic and chronotropic effects when tested in both frog and clam hearts [7] and has a depressing effect on rabbit blood pressure.[8] These results are thought to be due to nitric oxide release. [6] In humans, Pterois venom can cause systemic effects such as vomiting, fever and sweating and has been lethal in a few cases. [6] According to a study that involved the dissection of over 1,400 lionfish stomachs from Bahamian to North Carolinian waters, Pterois prey mostly on small fishes, invertebrates and mollusks in large amounts, with some specimens’ stomachs containing up to six different species of prey [3]. The amount of prey in lionfish stomachs over the course of the day suggest that lionfish feed most actively from 7:00-11:00 A.M., with decreased feeding throughout the afternoon. Lionfish are skilled hunters, using specialized bilateral swim bladder muscles to provide exquisite control of location in the water column, allowing the fish to alter its center of gravity to better attack prey [3]. The lionfish then spreads its large pectoral fins and swallows its prey in a singe motion. [9] Tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) have been shown to occasionally prey on Pterois, but these findings have been few and far between [10] Pterois can live from five to fifteen years and have complex courtship and mating behaviors.[9] Females release two mucus-filled egg clusters frequently, which can contain as many as fifteen thousand eggs. [11][9] Studies on Pterois reproductive habits are have increased significantly in the past decade.[11]

Native Waters

The Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/Pterois miles) is a predator native to sub-tropical and tropical regions from southern Japan and southern Korea to the east coast of Australia, Indonesia, Micronesia, French Polynesia and in the South Pacific Ocean.[12] It aggressively preys on small fish and invertebrates. They can be found around the seaward edge of reefs and coral, in lagoons, and on rocky surfaces to fifty meters. They show a preference for turbid inshore areas and in harbors.[12] Lionfish have a generally hostile attitude and are territorial towards other reef fish; studies show they could be decreasing Atlantic reef diversity by up to 80%.[13] Many universities in the Indo-Pacific have documented reports of Pterois aggression towards divers and researchers.[13]

As an Invasive Species

Territory

It is believed that Pterois were first introduced off the Florida coast by accident. The first documented capture of lionfish in the Atlantic occurred in Dania Beach, Florida.[3] It is also believed that six lionfish were accidentally released in Biscayne Bay, Florida after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. [14] It is also believed that the lionfish were purposefully discarded by unsatisfied aquarium enthusiasts.[14] Pterois are known for devouring many other aquarium fishes.[14] Pterois are unusual in that they are among the few fish species to successfully establish populations in open marine systems.[15] Adult lionfish specimens are now found along the United States East Coast from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Florida, and in Bermuda, the Bahamas, and throughout the Caribbean, including the Turks and Caicos, Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, Belize, Honduras and Mexico. [1] Extreme temperatures present geographical constraints in the distribution of aquatic species[16], indicating that temperature tolerance plays a role in the lionfish’s survival, reproduction and range of distribution.[17] Observational studies have shown that the abrupt differences in water temperatures north and south of Cape Hatteras directly correlate with the abundance and distribution of Pterois.[16] Pterois expanded along the entire eastern coast of the United States and occupied thermal-appropriate zones within ten years.[16] Although the timeline of observations points to the east coast of Florida as the initial source of the western Atlantic invasion, the relationship of the United States East Coast and Bahamian lionfish invasion is uncertain. [18]

Long Term Effects of Invasion

Lionfish have successfully pioneered the coastal waters of the Atlantic in less than a decade and pose a major threat to reef ecological systems in these areas. They have become the second most abundant species of fish from the Bahamas to North Carolina, second only to native scamp.[1] This could be due to a surplus of resource availability resulting from the over-fishing of lionfish predators like grouper.[19] Although the lionfish has not expanded to a population size that is currently causing major ecological problems, their invasion in the United States coastal waters could lead to serious problems in the future. One likely ecological impact caused by Pterois could be their impact on prey population numbers by directly affecting food web relationships. This could ultimately lead to reef deterioration and could negatively influence Atlantic trophic cascade.[9] It has already been shown that lionfish overpopulate reef areas and display aggressive tendencies; forcing native species to move to waters where conditions might be less than desirable.[1]

Eradication

Rigorous and repeated removal of lionfish from invaded waters will be necessary to establish control on the exponentially expanding population.[1] Many conservation groups across the Eastern United States are organizing hunting expeditions for Pterois. The Environment Education Foundation recently hosted its third ‘lionfish derby’ in Florida, offering more than $3,000 in prize money for dive teams catching the most lionfish.[20] Community organizations are forming across the country in hopes of halting the ever expanding lionfish population.[20]

Lionfish Dishes

Human consumption of the lionfish may prove to be the best eradication strategy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls the lionfish a “delicious, delicately flavored fish” similar in texture to grouper.[20] Many recipes for lionfish can be found in coastal cookbooks, some including fried lionfish, lionfish ceviche, lionfish jerky and grilled lionfish.[21]

Pictorial identification

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Whitfield PE, Hare J a, David AW, et al. Abundance estimates of the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans/miles complex in the Western North Atlantic. Biological Invasions. 2006;9(1):53-64. Available at: http://www.springerlink.com/index/10.1007/s10530-006-9005-9
  2. ^ a b National Geographic. "Lionfish".
  3. ^ a b c d Morris, J. a, & Akins, J. L. (2009). Feeding ecology of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the Bahamian archipelago. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 86(3), 389-398. doi: 10.1007/s10641-009-9538-8.
  4. ^ Randall JE, Allen GR, Steene RC (1997) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
  5. ^ a b c Morris, J. a, & Freshwater, D. W. (2007). Phenotypic variation of lionfish supraocular tentacles. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 83(2), 237-241. doi: 10.1007/s10641-007-9326-2.
  6. ^ a b c Church, J. E., & Hodgson, W. C. (2002). Adrenergic and cholinergic activity contributes to the cardiovascular effects of lionfish (Pterois volitans) venom. Toxicon, 40, 787-796.
  7. ^ Cohen, A.S., Olek, A.J., 1989. An extract of lionfish (Pterois volitans) spine tissue contains acetylcholine and a toxin that affects neuromuscular transmission. Toxicon 27, 1367.
  8. ^ Sauners, P.R., Taylor, P.B., 1959. Venom of the lionfish Pterois volitans. Am. J. Physiol. 197, 437.
  9. ^ a b c d Ruizcarus, R., Mathesonjr, R., Robertsjr, D., & Whitfield, P. (2006). The western Pacific red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Scorpaenidae), in Florida: Evidence for reproduction and parasitism in the first exotic marine fish established in state waters. Biological Conservation, 128(3), 384-390. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2005.10.012.
  10. ^ Maljković, a, Leeuwen, T. E., & Cove, S. N. (2008). Predation on the invasive red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Pisces: Scorpaenidae), by native groupers in the Bahamas. Coral Reefs, 27(3), 501-501. doi: 10.1007/s00338-008-0372-9.
  11. ^ a b Fishelson, L. (1997). Experiments and observations on food consumption, growth and starvation in Dendrochirus brachypterus and Pterois volitans (Pteroinae, Atema, 1980) 391-403.
  12. ^ a b Schultz, ET. (1986). Pterois volitans and Pterois miles: Two valid species. Copeia 1986:686–690
  13. ^ a b Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian Reef Fishes, Second Edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. p. 298.
  14. ^ a b c http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/lionfish/lion02_invade.html
  15. ^ Baltz, D.M., 1991. Introduced fishes in marine systems and inland seas. Biol. Conserv. 56, 151–177.
  16. ^ a b c Kimball, Me, Jm Miller, Pe Whitfield, and Ja Hare. "Thermal Tolerance and Potential Distribution of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois Volitans/miles Complex) on the East Coast of the United States." Marine Ecology Progress Series 283 (2004): 269-78.
  17. ^ Whitfield, Pe, T. Gardner, Sp Vives, Mr Gilligan, Wr Courtenay Ray, Gc Ray, and Ja Hare. "Biological Invasion of the Indo-Pacific Lionfish Pterois Volitans along the Atlantic Coast of North America." Marine Ecology Progress Series 235 (2002): 289-97.
  18. ^ Wilson Freshwater, D., Hines, A., Parham, S., Wilbur, A., Sabaoun, M., Woodhead, J., et al. (2009). Mitochondrial control region sequence analyses indicate dispersal from the US East Coast as the source of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans in the Bahamas. Marine Biology, 156(6), 1213-1221. doi: 10.1007/s00227-009-1163-8.
  19. ^ Davis MA, Grime JP, Thompson K (2000) Fluctuating resources in plant communities: a general theory of invasibility. J Ecol 88:528–534
  20. ^ a b c Major lionfish hunt Q & A Lars Chittka. (1992). Current Biology, 1005-1006.
  21. ^ http://www.lionfishhunter.com/Lionfish%20Recipes.html
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